(2.) The nature of the work. It was a glorious act of obedience. Do not think God is cruel, and standeth upon a little blood. No ; he standeth upon his honour. He hath made a law, and his law must have satisfaction ; the debt of obedience must be paid : Eom. v. 19,
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* As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners ; so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous ; ' Phil. ii. 8, ' He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.' The authority of the lawgiver was to be salved by obedience ; and the dread of the penalty, by an obedience to the death. It standeth, the Medi- ator, in no less than his blood, before God will make friendship with us. The law said, ' In the day thou sinnest thou shalt die the death.' Therefore Christ must lay down his life, by a most shameful, painful, cursed death. He that is above all law taketh the yoke of obedience upon him. His suffering death for the sin of man at the command of his Father, was the highest degree of obedience that ever was per- formed to God. So much love showed to God and man, so much self- denial, so much humility and patience, such resignation of himself to God, as cannot be paralleled.
(3.) The grievousness of the sufferings which Christ endured. He Bufiered the punishment due to us, in his agonies and desertion ; and so ' carried our griefs, and bear our sorrows,' Isa. liii. 4. His bloody sweat, his prayers and strong cries, his troubles of soul, show it ; he was made sin, and made a curse, for us. What can be expected more ? He not only bore our sins on his body on the tree, but we read also of his soul sufferings : John xii. 27, ' Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say ? ' His desertion : Mat. xxvii. 46, ' My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? ' He was forsaken for a while, that we might be received for ever. All these things give hope to penitent believers that there is a sure ground laid whereby they may be cleansed from their sins.
IV. The persons that have this benefit are such as ' walk in the light, as he is in the light.' They propound no lower pattern to them- selves than the perfection and excellences of God. Here it is dis- puted by divines what respect this qualification hath to the benefit ? Whether merely as a sign, or as a condition. The form is conditional. The generality determine that this is propounded as a sign of our communion with God. But others urge against them, that then there may be communion with God while we are in our sins ; for omne fignum est jyosterms signato ; the sign is after the thing signified. Be it a natural sign, as the smoke of fire ; or an arbitrary sign, as a tavern by a bush, or a servant by his badge and cognisance. There- fore, for some time at least, a man hath communion with God before he is holy. But this argument may be answered thus, that sanctifica- tion is the first gift. We are first sanctified, and then justified ; when a man sanctified walketh in the light, it is a sign of his sanctificatiou and justification. But they further urge that the apostle discourse th not of the evidence, but means ; therefore it is best to say, It is both a sign and a condition without which we cannot have benefit by Christ's death ; but the first condition is faith ; next, love and holiness to con- tinue our interest in this privilege. Those that walk in the light do in some sort resemble God, and endeavour to be more like him every day in goodness or holiness.
Use 1. For information in sundry particulars.
1. It showeth us the heinous nature of sin. A deep stain it is that could not be washed off but bv the blood of Christ. All in their natural
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estate are become filthy and odious to God : Ps. xiv. 3, ' They are all gone aside ; they are altogether become filthy ; ' objects displeasing in the eye of holiness, therefore we need to be cleansed. The leper cried out, ' Unclean ; ' so must we.
2. It showeth us the great love of Christ : Eev. i. 5, ' Who hath loved us, and washed us in his own blood,' That he would die an accursed, shameful death, to recover us to God, our hearts should be deeply possessed with a sense of his love. There are three things set it forth to us — (1.) The way he took to cleanse us ; (2.) The fulness of the benefit ; (3.) The daily application.
[1.] The way he took to cleanse us. It was by his blood : 1 John iv. 10, ' Herein was love ; not that we loved God, but God loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins/
[2.] The fulness of the benefit : ' His blood cleanseth from all sin.' There needeth no other sacrifice, no other covenant. It is done per- fectly : Heb. x, 14, ' For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.'